By the sky high standards he has previously set, it hasn’t been a truly vintage season for Tottenham captain and goalkeeper Hugo Lloris. But talk of his demise is not only premature, it’s nonsense.

True, errors in the past two seasons have appeared too frequently for his own liking but the mistakes made do not maketh a fraud. Is the Frenchman overrated, as some suggest? Not in the slightest.

What has happened this season differs only to others in the fact that some of the mistakes have noticeably affected his judgement and confidence. Something previously invisible to the eye.

Proactive keeping

Where he previously reset his focus and moved swiftly on, Lloris has occasionally looked anchored in the past this season, allowing doubts to linger, doubts that hijack his thoughts just long enough to disrupt his timing.

That was clear in last month’s 3-1 defeat to Manchester City. Vincent Kompany’s long ball over the top of the Spurs defence to Gabriel Jesus was inch perfect and Lloris was punished despite his correct decision to stay on his line.

Fast forward to the next through ball though and the doubts clearly played on his mind. As the ball was played in to Raheem Sterling, Lloris hesitated before rushing out and clattering the young winger to give away a penalty.

“Maybe I should have come [sooner] for that last one,” he admitted afterwards.

Proactive goalkeeping is a feature of his game which was even more prevalent in his early days at Spurs – flying head first to head balls away or approaching the penalty spot to take the pressure off his defence. His starting position was akin to the inside of a human cannon than on the six-yard box.

Lloris has tempered that approach somewhat since. His first two seasons saw him engage with play an average of 101 times outside his area compared to just 68 this season and last. While it can be a highly effective tactic, his keenness to involve himself does leave room for things to go wrong.

This is the two sides of the coin. What can sometimes make him look bad, is also what makes him so good.

Keep the faith

Hugo Lloris wanders outside of his box a lot – but this is part of the deal, argues David Preece. (Getty Images)

Despite the doubt occasionally hindering his decision-making process, Lloris’ overall demeanour is still that of a top class keeper.

There are accusations that he doesn’t come in for the level of criticism served to others when conceding questionable goals but, equally, his all round displays and value to Mauricio Pochettino’s side are underplayed too.

Perhaps Monday night’s home match against a Watford side wafting through the season like a plastic carrier bag in the wind isn’t the game to draw solid conclusions from but it was a performance that merits praise.

His very low-key pre-match warm-up routine belies the wrongly held belief that Lloris isn’t at the top of his game. A keeper struggling with form and confidence might have a more thorough and intensive preparation but he took a serenity into the match and his game looked almost flawless.

Cleanly struck distribution (a perceived weakness), allied with smart stops from Andre Gray and Richarlison were topped by a stunning sliding interception 30 yards from his line to cut out a pass that would have provided Watford with a clear cut 1 v 1 chance.

What made it so good is that there wasn’t a great deal of distance between the ball and its intended target. Anticipated and timed to precision, it was an interception few keepers would have been there to make and that is why, even this season, the errors have to be accepted as part of his deal.

The failed header against City last season? Good decision, bad header. The failed intervention against Chelsea? Right decision to try and affect the situation in what turned out to be an inevitable goal from Alvaro Morata. The failed clearance against Stoke City? Right decision to come, badly executed.

The volume with which he makes forays from his line, the most outside his box than any other keeper in the Premier League over the past three seasons, ups the likelihood of moments of misjudgement. But his successes and chances he has prevented are often not acknowledged.

Giving confidence to his side

It’s not just about weighing up risk and reward: sweeping up and affecting play outside the area is a necessity for the way Pochettino teams play. You could even question their classification as errors and instead consider them just part of the process.

Keepers in the grip of a crisis of confidence can unsettle the whole of the defensive unit. But any cracks that show up at Spurs never seem to widen. This could be down to their trust in Lloris, their trust in themselves or, more than likely, it’s a collective exercise in trust and they all aid each other’s recovery.

There’s still that trust between the keeper and those in front of him. Look at the reaction of his teammates after losing goals: no recrimination, no blame. Disappointment, yes. As with all goals conceded but Lloris’ game will fully recover from the blips as long as he retains that calm assuredness.

As for those who call for change, an upgrade on Lloris is not only unattainable for Spurs right now, it’s also unneeded. A break may have done him the world of good this summer but Russia and the World Cup calls. Whatever happens there, Hugo will still be the boss at Spurs.

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